WAUSAU - The week of the Wisconsin Valley Fair is one of the best weeks of the year.

You can watch horse shows, pet cows and catch up on local culture in the exhibition building. There are rides — Ferris wheels are the best — and plenty of other activities to keep anyone busy.

But let's admit it to ourselves. When you cross into the gates of the fair, you're there for the food. The fried, the greasy, the sweet; the food is what it's all about.

And in order to tell you what the best food at the Wisconsin Valley Fair is this year, this USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter set out to try it all, one vendor at a time. Well, actually, I tried 10, but that's as close as I'll get this year to trying it all.

Before heading out to Marathon Park, I set a few rules for myself.

I have to try as many foods as I possibly can.

I must finish at least one quarter, and preferably one half, of the portion served to me.

Each food must be different — no trying two of the same thing.

Here's a firsthand account of what it's like to try 10 fair foods in two hours.

Stop No. 1: Sweet Adeline's cream puff, $4.50

I asked for one cream puff, thinking they'll be tiny and delicious. I was wrong. What I got was a giant pastry, overflowing with sweet cream. One look at that thing and I knew there was no way I'd be able to finish it, even if I wasn't trying to eat my way through nine other foods. I finished half and counted it as a victory. I give it a 5/10.

Stop No. 2: Ice cream rolls, $5

This was by far the coolest food I got to try. The fresh cream is poured onto a plate that is chilled to 25 degrees below zero, and mixed with whatever you choose. I chose strawberry. Then the cream is spread out over the plate as it freezes and shaved into little rolls and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. I had to restrain myself from eating the whole portion. I give this one a 9/10.

So far, so good. I made it through two items and was ready for more.

Stop No. 3: Kim's BS Sauce's pulled pork sundae, $6

This doesn't sound like it should be as good as it actually is. This BBQ masterpiece couldn't get better. It all starts out with a layer of three-bean baked beans, coleslaw in the middle, and topped with pulled pork. Your favorite BBQ sauce is drizzled over the top of the cup, just like chocolate on a sundae.Top it all off with a very tasty pickle. I enjoyed this, even though it's been quite a while since I've eaten any pork. I finished about three-quarters of the cup and I was ready to keep on going. 8/10.

Stop No. 4: Chocolate-dipped cheesecake on a stick, $5

Chocolate dipped cheese cake is where it all started to go downhill.(Photo: Laura Schulte/ USA TODAY NETWORK- Wisconsin)

There were a lot of choices for this one, ranging from chocolate to strawberry to peanut butter, but I figured chocolate was the safest bet. I was wrong. After finishing about half of this full-sized piece of cheese cake, I was sweating and ready to stop. And it was only food No. 4. 5/10.

Stop No. 5: Breaded pickle spears, made by Dan Witter, $3

First, let me start by saying I'm a big pickle fan, but I was apprehensive about this food. Would frying it ruin the tangy crunchiness of the pickle? The answer, surprisingly, was no. It was the perfect ratio of crunchy breading to pickle, deep fried to literal perfection in my mind. I finished all of the spears of pickles and I was grateful for the break from sweet foods. I gave it a 10/10.

At this point, I was halfway through the #fairfoodchallenge, as I'd begun to call it, and I was still feeling pretty optimistic. I didn't feel sick and was ready to keep on eating.

I'm not a pork eater, as I said earlier, but this was included on the list of new fair foods on the WVFoodie ballot, so I knew I had to try it. The bacon was thick-cut and dipped in confectioner's chocolate, so it wasn't the sweetest, but I think it complemented the bacon well. The bacon, by the way, was amazing. 6/10.

By now I was starting to feel the stomach rumbles. I drank some water and put on a smiling face. I was ready to finish this thing.

Stop No. 7: Everest Area Optimist Club's cheese curds, $5

When these were handed to me by the gentlemen working the booth, I took one look at the hot oil glistening in the afternoon sun and knew that these curds were the beginning of the end. They were delicious, but my stomach was begging for a salad. I gave these curds a 7/10, but only because at that point, I was starting to struggle.

Stop No. 8: Corn dog, $3

This is supposed to be the staple of the fair, but I wasn't feeling joy when the woman working the tent handed me the deep fried treat. I wanted to walk away from the challenge, but instead I coated the breading in ketchup and took a bite. I thought maybe I'd finish the whole thing, but alas, my stomach did not agree. After eating about half, I put the corn dog down. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to eat another bite. I gave it a 4/10.

As I walked to my next destination, I started to wonder why I pitched this story idea in the first place.

Stop No. 9: Elephant ear, $6

When I was handed this piece of sugary fried dough, the first thing I noticed was that it was bigger than my actual face. There was no way I'd ever finish that. After tearing off a piece and eating it I remembered that I've never actually liked elephant ears. I struggled through the small amount of dough. The sun beat down on my shoulders and I felt my stomach doing flips because it was ready to be done. 4/10.

Stop No. 10: Funnel cake, $6

I couldn't believe that I'd made it this far. As a woman handed over the fried dough, I started smiling, because I knew the #fairfoodchallenge would be done soon. I tried a bite of the funnel cake. It was hard to swallow because I was so full. I had never been this full until that moment. But I soldiered through my bites and finished a small piece of the cake. I made it. 7/10.

At the end of the day, the #fairfoodchallenge was fun. I talked with different vendors, learned about local foods and learned about how much I could eat without getting sick.

But most of all, I learned that if you're going to enjoy food at the fair, you probably shouldn't try it all in the course of two hours.

Contact Going Out reporter Laura Schulte at 715-297-7532 or leschulte@gannett.com; on Twitter @schultelaura.